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WE WANT TO BE ONE OF THE ORIGINAL BMW M1 PROCAR MECHANIC FRITZ WAGNER'S GRANDKIDS!

Published: 2022-07-06 11:08:12 Last Updated: 2022-07-06 11:41:55

There’s a sought-after classic BMW that even hardcore BMW fans have likely never seen in the metal before, yet they could easily recite the specifications and history of the car like their life depended on it - the BMW M1. The BMW M1 was only produced from 1979 to 1981 and some 450 units were made in that time, around 400 of them being the street version with the balance being built for competition on track in the form of the BMW M1 ProCar. These cars were created for a one-make series that, as you can tell from the short production run, didn’t last, as exciting as it was. It’s not clear how many models are left, but if one does pop up for sale, you can expect to fork out a rather eye-watering $500 000+ (roughly R8.4mil). The main mechanic tasked with taking care of the cars back then, Fritz Wagner, managed to keep a plethora of parts and cars in his possession making him an absolute legend. Fritz built up his amazing BMW M1 ProCar collection using components he bought and collected himself.

It took years, but Fritz collected every part needed to maintain and build himself a few BMW M1 ProCars, making him the only man to now own a few of these very rare, iconic racecar in complete form. The video shows off the masses of parts that he still has in his workshop, including engine blocks, cylinder heads, carburettors and, well, everything else you can think of. When the cars raced, two equally iconic Formula 1 drivers battled it out for top honours and in 1979 Niki Lauder clinched the title with Nelson Piquet taking the overall win in 1980, and Fritz has that exact car in his possession. For the right price, Fritz is willing to sell the car to Piquet, but if that happens we’re pretty sure the price tag will be well above the current market value.

Over and above Piquet’s car, Fritz has another gem in his collection. He even owns the original BMW M1 prototype car that was originally built by Lamborghini, if you can believe that. While it’s arguable the rarest car of the lot seeing as the BMW M1 partnership fell away before the racing began, Fritz still plans of giving the car a new lease on life with a conversion to run it on hydrogen power. That’s pretty damn amazing. It’s all rather strange though too as the M1 was never considered particularly successful. We love that these cars aren’t all up for sale and that Fritz says he’ll give them to his grandkids. We’ve never wanted to be the love-grandchild of an old German mechanic so much.

Take a look at the short but quite emotive YouTube video by BMW Group Classic showing a glimpse into the life of a legendary BMW race mechanic, Fritz Wagner, and how this one man is single-handedly responsible for keeping the memory of the classic BMW M1 ProCar series alive: Our Brands. Our Stories — The man behind the legend of the BMW M1 Procar! | BMW Group Classic

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Article Tags: Cars Nostalgia Classic Old School BMW M1 Fritz Wagner SXdrv OG M1 Procar BMW